Developing nations have changing relationships with superpowers

Traditional superpowers often accused of having unfair relationships with developing nations:

• Neo-colonialism
• Unfair terms of trade
• The brain drain of skilled workers from developing countries to boost developed world economies
• Local wealthy elites, who control imports and exports in developing countries

China's African Adventure

• Africa has recently become a major trading partner for China

  • Exports from Africa to China and imports from China to Africa have both ↑
  • China also provides economic & development aid to Africa in the region of US$2-3 bn China's involvement in Africa has created greater interdependence

• China relies on African oil (from Angola, Nigeria and Sudan), Minerals such as Zambian Copper and even sugar & biofuels to fuel its growing economy

• Africa increasingly imports Chinese-manufactured goods and relies on Chinese investment in Infrastructure like roads, rail and ports | Neo-Colonialism (Bad) | Development Opportunity (Good) | |---|---| | Infrastructure investments ensure China can export raw materials as cheaply & efficiently as possible | Chinese has invested heavily in roads, railways and ports to export raw materials | | Skilled & technical jobs filled by Chinese migrant workers | Vital jobs are created, especially by large industrial, transport and energy projects which also modernise the economy | | Cheap Chinese imports (clothes, shoes, etc) have undercut local producers and forced them out of business | Chinese factories and mines bring modern working practices and technology to Africa | | Much of the FDI brings only temp construction jobs; there are few long-term jobs in mechanised mines and oil fields | Chinese finance has funded 17 major HEP projects since 2000, adding approx 7000MW of electricity to the continent by 2013 | | Aid from China is tied to FDI; allowed investment and China provides some aid | Investment deals are often accompanied by aidm so the benefits of Chinese money are more widely spread | | Cheap goods from China has undercut the African goods | Relations are primarily based on trade |

Environmental Impacts

• Chinese imports of tropical timber have been linked to widespread illegal deforestation in Mozambique
• Oil spills linked to Chinese-funded oil wells have been reported in Chad, Sudan and Angola
• Extraction of metallic ore coltan in the DR of Congo has lead to widespread forest loss & river pollution

The Rising Economic Importance of Certain Asian Countries (China and India) - Centre of Gravity is Shifting

• Since 1990, the centre of gravity has shifted from the EU/USA to China

• Asia will soon be the dominant global region

  • By 2050 Asia will be the world's most populated continent and have the world's largest GDP Relations between China and India

• They are ideological rivals: India is the world's largest democracy whereas China is a communist dictatorship

• They share a border but parts are disputed (eg. Tawang)

• China has created a strong economic alliance with Pakistan focused on the $54 billion Chinese investment in CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor), but Pakistan and India have tense, often antagonistic relations

• China has the upper-hand in terms of economics, as India has a large trade deficit (imports more than exports)

Cultural, Political, Economic and Environmental Tensions in the Middle East

Has a number of characteristics that make it a frequent location of tension and conflict

↳ The 2011 Arab Spring → A series of pro-democracy, pro-human rights civil uprisings in 2011 that affected Syria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Bahrain and Iran. Some govs were overthrown but, in most cases protracted instability followed the uprisings.

Sources of Instability in the Middle East

Religion	Most of the region is Muslim, but Sunni (Saudi) and Shia (Iran) sects are in conflict with each other, both within and between countries
Economic	The Middle East has 45% of the world's oil and 40% of its natural gas
Environment	Water stress, pollution, toxic waste
Oil & Gas	65% if the world's crude oil exports originate in the region, the oil & gas reserves have long been a prize worth fighting over
Governance	Most of the countries are relatively new states at least in their current form, democracy is either weak or non-existent; religious and ethnic allegiances are often stronger than national identity ones.
Resources	Although rich in fossil fields, the region is short of water and farmland, meaning territorial conflict over resources is more likely.
Youth	Many countries have young populations with high unemployment and relatively low education levels
History	Many international borders in the region are arbitrary; they were drawn on the map by colonial oilers and do not reflect the actual geography of religious or cultural groups.

• Presence of destabilising terrorist groups

  • al-Qaeda, IS

• The ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict: the USA has traditionally supported Israel w/ military & economic AID while some Middle Eastern countries (eg. Iran) are openly hostile towards the Jewish state of Israel and actively supports Palestinian military groups Tensions Over Water

• Some countries in the Middle East (Jordan) are facing severe water shortages due to their desert locations

• Tensions are highest when countries share water source

  • Overuse of water resources in one threatens water security in the other